livingston park where the boy was found. chris? >> reporter: we asked that question, how could this have happened here? you'll hear the response in a few moments. livingston park, upper northwest, kids come here every day under the watchful eye of nannies and parents. in one case, a local children's center. well, on monday a teacher, apparently, left a youngster behind in the playground by mistake. about 4:30 monday afternoon, two nannies noticed a little boy who seemed unattended in livingston park. the incident came to our attention through d.c. urban moms list serve posted under the heading, toddler left at livingston park by day care. it says he had no shoes or socks, and a runny nose. a park attendant called police. after about an hour, someone came running back from the day care, along with the 2 1/2-year-old boy's father. the center located a few blocks away uses the park daily. >> the parent came to pick up,

and we realized that the child did not come back from the park. >> what was the reaction of the dad? >> the child is still enrolled. obviously the parents were upset. >> how did it happen? >> we're still investigating that. you know, it seems like it was just a breakdown in process. but we don't know all the details yet. we're working on that. >> reporter: the friendship children's center reported the incident to the d.c. office of state superintendent of education, which has launched an investigation to determine what action it will take. parents using livingston park with their children today are upset by the news. >> it's your worst nightmare, to think about your child being in someone else's care and being left behind. at the same time, i think -- i'm sure it was an honest mistake if this is the -- you know, the child care center that does this all day, every day, i'm sure the person who was responsible for this child must feel terrible about this. >> reporter: friendship children's center says it has taken appropriate disciplinary action against the teacher.

>> and then we right away jumped into our investigation of what happened, and working on figuring out how to make sure it doesn't happen again. >> reporter: the children's center tells us that the boy was bare foot because he took off his shoes and socks in order to play on the playground. they say he is safe and sound, and was in school today. that's the latest from upper northwest, chris gordon, news4. back to you. a gas leak in fairfax county caused some major traffic headaches in maryfield today. fire rescue was called to arlington boulevard in williams drive here after contractors reportedly hit a natural gas line around 1:30. police and fire officials closed arlington boulevard, and had to divert traffic. washington gas shut down the line. no one was hurt. a 15-year-old girl groped while walking down the street in springfield, virginia. this is the fourth reported incident of this kind of assault in that city in the last month. pat collins spoke to one of the

victims and explained why the attack is considered so brazen. >> reporter: four attacks in springfield in the past month. police believe it may be the work of the same man, and now it appears the number of victims may be five. police out in springfield investigating a series of fondling attacks on young women here. today a detective talking to yet another victim. we call her rosa. she said she was attacked on september 19th as she was coming home with her daughter. she spoke through an interpreter. >> translator: we were walking down the sidewalk when all of a sudden i felt somebody walking behind me. once i turned around he started touching me. touching me around my breasts. and then i started screaming and my daughter started screaming, he started running back. >> reporter: all of these attacks have happened on

residential streets where you're more likely to feel safe, and let your guard down. mo monticello boulevard, 9:30 in the morning, a 26-year-old woman attacked down there. >> it's terrifying. i have a daughter. she's away at college, thank goodness right now. but yeah, this has always been a really safe area, so it's kind of a change for springfield. >> reporter: metropolitan center drive, september 18th, a 16-year-old victimized here. >> it makes me nervous. >> reporter: the 5900 block of erving street. september 27th. this time the victim, a 17-year-old. >> sounds like we need more police roaming around, checking things, you know, maybe doing more footwork than car work. >> reporter: heberling, the victim here, 15 years old. >> it's sad when you can't even walk down the street anymore,

without worrying about being abused. >> reporter: lucy caldwell is with the fairfax county police. >> none of the women have required medical attention. but that doesn't mean it's not upsetting and traumatizing to them. >> reporter: now, police are working on a composite here. so far, the description is vague. a man about 5'8", close-cropped beard, who sometimes wears a plain red baseball cap. live in fairfax, i'm pat collins, news4. soupy, foggy morning out there today. take a look at this sped-up video of the capitol. you can see that thick fog rolling through this morning. >> it has burned off, but we are not out of this weather pattern just yet. let's get the latest from veronica johnson. what will we be seeing? >> more fog. i'll tell you how thick, coming up. i see a little bit there, and a little bit there, and that's how it's been today. you look up, see a little bit of sunshine here and there. getting a little bit more now, and that's helped temperatures

to rise into the upper 70s, low 80s. areas with a little bit more clearing south of d.c. sprinkles pretty much gone. but we could see some more showers tomorrow. i'll have the timing on that, along with how thick and dense this fog will be. 82 manassas. 85 degrees in fredericksburg. here's a look at your good night wakeup forecast. we'll drop down to the upper 60s to low 70s. as far as inside the beltway, about 70 to 71 degrees. there is a big pattern change. we're talking about cool to cold air that's going to be moving in. more on that coming up. the hour is almost here. the candidates are getting ready for their first debate of the presidential campaign. the showdown takes place tonight at the university of denver. the stage has been given a fresh coat of paint. jim lehrer of pbs is prepared to moderate. andrea mitchell joins us now from denver.

you know, they have three debates coming up. we're hearing that tonight's is going to be the most important. why is that? >> reporter: well, it's the first. wendy, this is the first chance we have to see these men face to face. they've been trading charges back and forth as well as their surrogates through speeches, stump speeches and also the campaign advertisements. this is going to be the first time they challenge each other. this format is designed to let them do exactly that. you'll not have opening statements. there are two-minute closing statements from each of them. but they'll be able to question each other, all on domestic policy. but we're told mitt romney does want to try to bring benghazi into the mix. they think there's an opening there to weaken the president by what went wrong in libya by that fatal attack. >> the race has tightpened nationally a little bit. two of the three battleground states is a statistical tie at

this point. yet romney is still considered an underdog going into this. why is that? >> reporter: well, the race has been very, very close all along. these latest polls, especially the nbc news "wall street journal" poll has the overall race tightening. in the battleground states also. except for ohio. and that lead in ohio for president obama is really significant. because ohio is almost critically important for mitt romney to get to 270 electoral votes. the other thing about it is, people are feeling better about the economy. as bad as things are, 40% of people think that the country is heading on the right track. and that tells all of us, especially the polling experts, wendy, that people are feeling better about the direction of the country, and so they have to feel really badly about the country, if they wanted to eject the current president of the united states and take a bet on someone they don't know very well. that's the final thing.

mitt romney is way behind president obama in popularity. and that's his challenge tonight. mitt romney has to come out here tonight and try to be nice, and affable and likable and get past that 47% comment that he made, which seemed to be writing off half of the american voters. at the same time he's got to be tough and aggressive and try to rattle president obama. and that is a very hard combination. >> all right. andrea mitchell, always good to hear your comments on this. and you are joining the team coverage for tonight's big debate showdown coming up on "nightly news" with brian williams. >> thanks. >> thank you. would you be willing to pay an extra buck or two per month to reduce the chance of power outages during storms? well, martin o'malley believes residents will say yes. he said we should allow utilities to pay for upgrades. this is part of the search for solutions after a june storm cut power for days. the companies would have to meet

stricter reliability standards. opponents believe the plan rewards utilities for not paying for maintenance themselves. a huge roar from the crowd today at nationals park. and it had nothing to do with the players on the field. >> it's history. it is history. >> can the season finale against the phillies, teddy got his first-ever victory. the fan favorite mascot won the presidents race after a fake philly phanatic knocked down the competitors. they lanl elabeled this series in 2012. a live report on teddy's big win coming up a bit later in sports. >> teddy's big win came as the team itself picked up another victory in their quest against the phillies. and today, city leaders acknowledged several hundred officers will be on standby for crowd control during the upcoming play-offs.

but they say putting those officers at the park will not take away from regular duties. >> what we have done is to make arrangements to cover any eventuality during the play-offs. there will be no disruption to normal police activities in the neighborhood. >> i have every confidence that the chief will deploy officers in the most responsible way. >> d.c. mayor vincent gray said people should focus more on the fact that washington has a team in the play-offs for the first time in nearly eight decades. and of course, the biggest debate in the news room was whether teddy winning was a good thing or not. >> i liked his victory lap. >> i love watching them run. i loved the debate. there was a lot of passion today. >> there was. the trial begins for the sole survivor of a fiery crash after a police chase. and a fairfax firefighter vacationing in florida has an encounter that is too close for comfort. plus, a frustrating situation goes from bad to worse, when this man learns he

has to pay hundreds of dollars to get his stolen car back.

a prince william county woman won't soon forget a recent diving trip. she came face-to-face with an

enormous whale shark. incredibly, a reporter was right there catching it all on video. darcy spencer spoke with the diver and she joins us with her story. darcy? >> reporter: jim, cheryl mcwilliams said at first she thought it was a boat. but that didn't make any sense. soon it became clear it was a shark. it was swimming right toward her. 75 feet beneath the surface. fortunately for her, whale sharks feed on plankton, not pele. >> that's me breathing. because i'm swimming so hard. >> reporter: the diver you see in this incredible video is cheryl mcwilliams. she had an unexpected close encounter with a whale shark off the florida coast last month. what was your initial thought when you saw it? >> oh, my goodness. look, it's a whale shark. how amazing is this, you know, how lucky. >> reporter: mcwilliams is a fairfax county firefighter and dive instructor. she was on a dive off the gulf of mexico 30 miles off the coast. she was exploring a shipwreck on

an artificial reef. >> it's like almost seeing a school bus underwater. it's 25 feet long. and it's just enormous. you're just -- you're awe-struck. >> reporter: mcwilliams said she was not scared. she has nearly 20 years of diving experience. she recognized the polka dotted creature as being a whale shark, the largest fish in the world. >> it was pretty amazing. just one of those, you feel blessed after something like that. >> reporter: a newspaper reporter took this video of mcwilliams as the whale shark swam toward her. she grabbed some of her own photographs and videos as well. this was the second sighting of a whale shark at the reef since july. still, it's considered rare to see one in these waters. >> it would be interesting to know what they're thinking, because they actually look at you, like, what are you doing? >> reporter: mcwilliams said sharks typically get a bad rap and many are endangered. she hopes this video will help its image and its home. >> anytime we can interact with something like this, and show

them them in a really good light, it goes to show how much we really need to protect the oceans. >> reporter: mcwilliams was there with her mom and she said that made it even more special for her. she's already planning her next dive. that's swimming with manta rays. darcy spencer, news4. >> very cool. i love her message, because it's true, because of the sharp fin soup thin, defending the sharks -- >> so cool. it looks like it was lit up. >> it looks like he's a curious creature. >> like, who are you? like a big catfish. >> without the whiskers. what a thick morning we had out there today. >> looked like we were underwater. >> we were, in a big cloud. as far as school delays, those were off to the east. around here, we had the fog. we had a little bit of a wind that helped us out in the early-morning time period that was enough to stir things up and

break up some of the fog. we're at 81 degrees right now. yes, a calm wind. we are talking about more fog for tomorrow morning. our current temperatures are in the 70s, from 75 north in gaithersburg, maryland, in montgomery county, to 80 degrees in huntingtown, 82 degrees currently in warrenton. so not too bad. it's certainly mild out there right now. it's going to be a mild evening for us, too. earlier on storm team 4 radar, we had sprinkles movg through, but those are now gone. our next chance of rainy think will come tomorrow morning early, say, around 6:00 or 7:00 a.m. that rain is going to come as this system, you saw the spin there. that's an area of low pressure. what's left of it will start moving toward the east. eventually that whole system will be tracking through us. a chance of showers between 7:00 a.m. and noontime tomorrow. the temperatures back west, 62 degrees in chicago. we are going to see highs in the low 60s coming our way early part of next week. and even the second half of the weekend. here's a look at your night

forecast. mild for 9:00, mild for 11:00. mild, too, for the morning. 65 to about 70 degrees. then more fog, it's not going to be as thick. i think this time it's going to wait until after 11:00 p.m. before it starts to develop and thicken up, and lower. it's going to be patchy fog for the morning and probably burn off and lift a little faster, too, as the winds pick up out of the southwest. here are the clouds for the evening. some showers for the morning. you can see them there, 7:00 a.m., moving through with the fog. by the time we get to about lunchtime tomorrow, most of our rain chances will be gone. we'll have a little bit of sunshine coming our way with a high temperature of about 80 degrees. then another front, you can see it coming down, that's the front for the weekend. behind it, significantly cooler air. here's a look at your evening. 70 to 77 degrees. tomorrow morning, there's the fog and drizzle. a few showers, 66 to 72. so we're back to the umbrella for tomorrow morning. up until about noontime.

a little bit of a breeze, too. so a warm breeze blowing for your thursday afternoon. then just outstanding weather for friday. and you'll want to take advantage of it, because we'll go from 82 on friday, to 64 for a high on sunday. sunday is looking like it's going to be wet through the day. earlier it looked like showers just for the morning. now it's through your sunday. >> now we have to find out if our jeans still fit. >> time to start covering up. still to come, her frantic tweet sparked international concern. but police said her kidnapping was a hoax and now we know where she really went. a new start for the little dog brutally stabbed in a domestic dispute. coming up in sports, a history-making day at the park. dan hellie is live with a very special guest.

he's still soaking in that victory lap. it's the moment fans have been waiting for for years now. >> yes, indeed, down at nats park today, the curse was broken. teddy won the presidents race. you'll remember this day for the rest of your life, dan hellie. >> it's unbelievable. you're tossing to me about teddy, the nationals won their 98th game of the year. they have secured home field advantage. and yes, teddy finally won. let's get things started with the highlights of the game. i think that's apropos. ryan zimmerman, the first batter after teddy's big win. he's going yard. 25th home run of the year. that ties the game at 1. bottom eight now. it's a 3-1 game. fans with a giant michael morris head. morris, an aha moment. blasts one to center. 18th home run of the year.

puts the nationals up 5-1. and that's your final. the nationals finish with a 98-64 record. they will be the top seed in the national league, and will play on sunday. it will either be the cardinals or the atlanta braves. this was the scene in the third inning. a precursor of things to come. teddy receives a pair of yellow underarmor cleats. good marketing there. he's feeling good. feeling like this could be the day. to the race. teddy starts out behind the other three. he gets some help, but it's from the philly phanatic. taking down george and tom. it leads a wide open path for teddy. race number 539, and he gets it done. his first win since 2006. and guess who i have joining me now, it is -- come on in here, teddy. here's my question for you, my friend. andy, this man has to speak for teddy sometimes because he can't talk. but teddy, i have to ask you

this, okay? you don't have the shoes. why don't you have the shoes? >> he knows, they were authenticated by major league baseball and go to auction. maybe cooperstown even. >> underarmor gold sneaks. what was the secret to victory today? was of course level everything in the head? >> it was heart. >> heart, guys. andy, how much heart has he shown over the past few years, grinding it out, not winning, and then finally stepping up to the plate today? >> it was a little nat-itude, i think is what it was. playing great ball this year. we had 37,000 fans here today on their feet going absolutely wild. and it sets us up for a great postseason. >> on a serious note, how do you decide to let him win today? why not carry this into the play-offs or next season? this must have been a big time organizational decision. >> are you suggesting there was some kind of conspiracy this was rigged? >> i'm absolutely suggesting this was fixed. >> i believe in teddy and his

good workouts and underarmor gold shoes and wrist band. he may be ready for the postseason. >> i think this is the end of the run. he's been on the cover of the "wall street journal," a huge story. you can see the emotion from teddy right now. i'm going to miss it. because right now, teddy, you're a non-story, my friend. let's just watch some baseball in the season. trying to mess up the hair to get me back. >> i want to know how abe is doing. he took a pretty hard fall there. >> is abe okay? have you talked to him? he doesn't even care about abe. >> that's politics. all right. >> yeah, that it is. >> thank you, dan. >> you're welcome, guys. >> somewhere out in the northwest wile e. coyote is jealous. a man finds out his stolen car has been found and towed. and he's got to pay some big bucks to get it back.

and the country that told mike tyson to go away.

fast forward through the headlines. a series of groepg attacks over the last month. a 15-year-old girl said she was grabbed while walking along hibling avenue. there were three similar attacks in the same area last month. a toddler left behind at a northwest d.c. playground by his day care. friendship children's center says the boy's teacher miscounted and left him at livingston park monday afternoon. that teacher has been disciplined. the toddler is okay and back at school today. a new report from maryland calls for adding a couple of dollars to your power bill that would make upgrades that would hopefully prevent the long outages after the storms. opponents say the power company

such as pepco need to pay for their own upgrades. it is mostly cloudy, but dry outside right now. i expect the rain to come back probably after midnight in the form of a little bit of drizzle once again. we're going to have to deal with fog, too. we're in the 70s right now. up north at 75 degrees. through the morning as we check out woodbridge, virginia, the forecast, cloud cover, yes, and there's your fog. we'll drop to the mid-70s, and then low 70s by tomorrow morning. a mild start indeed. we'll take another look at your future weather coming up at 5:45. thanks, veronica. he was the sole survivor of a fiery crash last march on chevy chase circle. rico richardson was a passenger in a stolen car. it crashed into a tree on that circle, after a police chase. jackie bensen is live in

rockville tonight where richardson's trial for that car theft is now under way. jackie? >> reporter: good evening, jim. the question is this, did the 18-year-old defendant know that the car he was riding in had been stolen? exhibit "a" in the state of maryland versus rico richardson, the dash cam video from one of the police cruisers that responded to chevy chase circle in march. responding to a pursuit that exceeded speeds of 90 miles an hour. officers came upon a stolen toyota echo crumpled next to a tree. >> vehicle's on fire. >> reporter: in court, prosecutor steve chakenaid officers risked their own safety to pull richardson from the crash that killed his three friends. michael robinson second on the scene was asked if he saw rico richardson in the car. he responded yes, he was on fire. the officer who began the pursuit also testified, the prosecutor asked him, did your police car hit the toyota echo? the officer responded, no. the prosecutor asked, did you

see another police car hit the echo? the officer responded, no. that matter will be an issue in a civil suit richardson family is bringing against the county. his attorney noted that richardson was charged a month after the crash, after preparations for the civil suit began. >> we do believe it was retaliatory against our client, because at that point, the county and the department was on notice, as you had indicated, that a lawsuit would be filed. and as i made clear in my opening statement, this was only young gentleman in the vehicle that was charged. >> reporter: one of the responding officers did testify today that he saw a collision between two police cruisers. reporting live in rockville, jackie bensen, news4. alexandria police are looking for a suspect in a sexual assault. a woman said she was walking in a community park on holmes run parkway 10:00 last night. she says a man began talking to her and then pulled her into a secluded area and tried to

sexually assault her. she was able to break free and run off. last month, a jogger was assaulted in the same area. police do not believe, however, that these two cases are related. a driver in silver spring lost control of his car this morning hitting two teenagers walking to school. it happened along east randolph road around 7:00 this morning. the vehicle hit a guardrail before hitting the two girls. both suffered nonlife-threatening injuries. they are expected to be fine. today montgomery county unveiled new technology designed to ensure the safety of domestic violence victims. a video conferencing system allows a victim to go before a judge to request a protective order without having to come near her accuser. state's attorney john mccarthy said maryland law aows victims to claim unemployment benefits if they have to leave the job because of abuse. >> if you're forced to leave your job because you feel threatened and have those transitional period of time,

worrying about how do i put food on my table, and put a roof over my kids' heads, you're eligible for unploim benefits. >> 4,000 people have used the family justice center since it opened in 2009. still ahead, stranded at sea, two plane crash survivors document their long wait for help to arrive. and what

this week we have the kind of story we love to tell on "wednesday's child," one with a happy ending. >> a lot's happened since we first met demarcus several years ago. he's now taller and just the right family happened to be watching. >> hi, demarcus. >> reporter: you may remember this adorable 7-year-old we first met three years ago. he delighted us with his personality and talked about one day hoping to have a mom and dad. you've grown up. >> i know. >> reporter: you brought some folks with you this time. >> yes. >> reporter: who is that with you? >> my mom and my dad. >> reporter: would you introduce them to me?

>> this is belinda. and this is mark. >> reporter: mm-hmm. >> hello. >> reporter: what do you call them? >> mom and dad. >> reporter: demarcus learned the art of fronting cupcakes at our first encounter. this time we went back with his new parents. tell me what it's like to have a mom and dad now. >> it's awesome. >> reporter: demarcus remembered the famous georgetown cupcake swirl. and his parents caught on very quickly. as a team, they were turning out one sweet treat after the next. belinda said she and her husband had been foster parents in the past. but three years ago they decided they wanted to adopt. and called on d.c.'s child and family services. >> i just ran into that cute smile. as soon as i saw that cute smile, it was like, we have to get him. >> reporter: they say their new son is terrific. and while they had a full life before, demarcus is like the icing on the cake.

life's pretty sweet, huh? >> yeah. >> yes. >> life is sweet. >> reporter: congratulations to all of you. >> thank you. >> reporter: this is so fantastic. congratulations to you, too. >> thank you. >> reporter: barbara harrison, news4, for "wednesday's child." >> if you have room in your home and heart, call our special adoption hotline, or logon to nbcwashington.com. he has grown up, hasn't he. >> a beautiful family. still to come, this man's car was stolen, and then when it was found, he had to pay hundreds of dollars just to get it back. the news4 i-team showed you where it happened and where victims can go for help. an update on the teenager who police say sent a tweet

imagine your car is stolen, and on top of that, you get walloped with hundreds of dollars in fees. this happened to a virginia man who says he feels like he's been victimized twice. so he called our news4 i-team. there's help out there, but you have to know where to look. >> reporter: every 43 seconds a car is stolen in the u.s.

and sometimes it can happen right under your nose. >> it was no more than 25 feet away from the vehicle when it disappeared. >> reporter: someone swiped anthony's jeep cherokee over the summer. >> it makes your heart hurt. it's just a vehicle, but it's your life. without it, you can't do what you need to do. >> reporter: he was relieved when police called him weeks later saying the jeep had been found abandoned on a street and towed to a lot in fairfax county. that is, until he went to pick it up later that day. >> i asked her if she was kidding me. >> reporter: before he could get his car, he would have to fork over $125. >> my vehicle was stolen. it's not my responsibility to pay for it when someone else parked this illegally. >> reporter: she sees this a lot. >> it is revictimizing. you're trying to figure out, how do i get to work the next day, what do i do with my insuran. >> reporter: what most vicms probably don't know is in the

state of virginia they can get their money back if they're not at fault for the tow. >> if you have a victim who already paid and didn't know this existed, they need to have the receipt. >> reporter: the money comes from the state treasury, but the paperwork can be a bit complicated. that's why her office helps those in fairfax fill it out. >> i guess they need to make it more accessible for those who need it. >> reporter: his insurance didn't cover the tow and out of work on disability, he had to borrow money from friends and family. by the time he got the money, the charges had increased even more, because of storage fees. >> it ended up being $225 by the time it was all said and done. >> and that didn't include repairs. he needed to fix the damaged ignition switch, busted axle and stolen radio. he's going to apply for compensation, but it typically takes three to four months to get paid. attorneys general in maryland and d.c. say they do not have a similar program, but victims can

ask forrest tugs through the courts. if you live in virginia, we've got links where you can go to nbcwashington.com. >> wow. >> thanks, tisha. let's check in with veronica once again. we've got changes on the way, huh? >> that we do. those changes will be taking place tomorrow morning again. as far as this evening goes, we've got cloud cover out there. but at least it's mi. take a look behind me. look at that shot. mostly cloudy. you've got to look hard to see a little bit of the blue. but as i said, it's mild mercury right now, upper 70s throughout the area. tomorrow morning, and for the overnight period, more cloud cover. but as far as the fog goes, it will wait, i think, until after midnight before it develops, unlike last night. we had the fog stepping in here early by around 8:00 and 9:00 p.m. yesterday. so it's cloud cover on tap for the overnight period starting about 7:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. i'm expecting some showers. i'm not looking for anything

heavy. but showers will be moving on into our area. 6:00, 7:00 a.m. tomorrow morning from the west through the east. again, nothing heavy. but with the fog, it's just going to be a lousy morning rush once again for us. now, as that rain moves on out of here by noontime tomorrow, we'll start to get more breaks in the cloud cover. and temperatures, they're going to warm again, upper 70s to around 80 degrees. we're going to have more wind, too, that will help break up the cloud cover. a west wind gusting at times to about 20 to 25 miles per hour. tomorrow morning, 63 degrees in mount airy. 67 for a start in fredericksburg. high temperatures getting into the low 80s tomorrow. so feeling, again, more like mid-september around here. then we're going to make that switch with a change of seasons for the second half of the weekend. here we go, from 81 degrees, with showers early tomorrow. 30% chance. a warm one on friday. and couldn't be better to round out this week.

saturday your high 74. 64 on sunday. and look for rain with those cooler temperatures throughout the day, too, on sunday. early part of next week, the cool weather will be sticking around, with highs around 63 monday, to 68 degrees on wednesday. last year this time, our high temperature on the 3rd of october, guys, was 53 degrees. so that's the time of year. >> it's here. thanks, veronica. a news anchor fires back at a viewer. the recession has an impact on the delivery rooms, and one country tells a former heavyweight champ to stay away. here's what's trending today. i am much more than a number on a scale. >> award-winning reporter jennifer livingston in la crosse, wisconsin, responds to harsh criticism from a viewer. he e-mailed her saying she is not a suitable example for young people because she's overweight. other people in the community have responded with overwhelming support for livingston. she called the e-mailer a bully,

and said she wanted to show children that bullies shouldn't define them. a baby bust in the united states for the fourth year in a row. the number of new babies has dropped across the country. experts say the weak economy has a lot to do with it. last year's drop in the birth rate was just 1%. though it's been 2% to 3% in recent years. mike tyson's facial tattoo is inspired by the indigenous people of new zealand, but that country is preventing him from visiting. he needs special permission to travel to new zealand because of a rape conviction back in the '90s. he lost it after a charity that was supposed to benefit from his speaking event withdrew its support. a promoter said tyson is disappointed by the decision, adding the former heavyweight champ has rebuilt his life in recent years. a teenager who disappeared this weekend after tweeting an intruder was in her home, she's been found in new jersey. she set off a twitter firestorm after she falsely tweeted that someone had gotten into her home. she told followers to call 911.

police found her at a rest stop on the new jersey turnpike yesterday. and they believe she just ran away. they're still trying to figure out why she sent that misleading tweet. the dog who was stabbed during a domestic dispute last month is one step closer to recovery tonight. we visited coco today. she's looking great. she's a 2-year-old shih tzu that was stabbed seven times last month inside her home at the hands of a family member. this morning she had her sutures removed. and went outside for a walk. >> her turn-around is awesome and surprising. you almost wouldn't have known anything happened. she's been walking around here, going up to dogs, wanting to play. it's possible that long-term she would be all right. time will tell. >> go coco. the washington humane society said the man accused of stabbing coco had a history of violent outbreaks.

he's undergoing a mental evaluation now. the humane society is working with the u.s. attorney's office to decide whether charges will be brought against him. even though it was a meaningological game between two of the worst teams in the national league, florida fans witnessed a special moment. >> 0-2 pitch. a swing and a miss. he strikes out. but you know what, he made it back. he got his money back. and the crowd comes to its feet again. >> that was adam greenberg's comeback last night. he struck out in the sixth inning. just his second career at-bat. he first came in 2005. he was hit in the head on a first pitch. the injury appeared to end his career. but greenberg never gave up his dream. the marlins eventually offered him a one-day contract. and a chance to step up to the plate again. >> it's going to last an eternity for me. however long it was. that's 33 more seconds than

i'll -- i could have ever asked for. greenberg was playing with the marlins seven years ago when he was hit in the head. and of course, they gave him his second chance now. when we come right back on news4 at 5:00 tonight, a pilot and passenger stranded in the gulf of mexico after a plane crash. and they documented their ordeal on an ipad. we're looking for the biggest nats fans. send us picture of your kids, your pets. even yourself. decked out in the nats colors. thanks to everyone so far who has sent us pictures. send your pictures to natspix@nbcwashington.com.

coming up at 6:00, traffic and security changes coming to d.c. we'll tell you why. a very rare and deadly outbreak of meningitis has hit the area. and we'll tell you about a guy who made a small bet, and because of the nfl replacement refs, he won big. those stories and more coming up tonight at 6:00. flames and smoke erupted in mid-flight on a small plane. and that forced the pilot to crash into the gulf of mexico. >> the best friends on board had time to grab two things, flotation devices and an ipad. they documented their ordeal stranded at sea.

>> okay. >> reporter: this video from an ipad was taken by pilot ted wright, just moments after he and a passenger survived a harrowing crash into the gulf of mexico. >> we are hour one. we just had a plane crash in the gulf of mexico. and the ipad survived, thanks to the case. >> reporter: raymond, his best friend, had been in the passenger seeflt. the two were flying from texas to sarasota, florida, on a route that would keep them over water almost the entire trip. they were two hours into the flight in this twin-engine plane, when suddenly smoke and flames filled the cabin. >> neither one of us were screaming. there was no praying. there was no, you know, thinking the world was coming to an end. >> reporter: but they knew they would be ditching the plane in the gulf. and after impact, they would have to get out quick. >> by the time i could reach down, undo my seat belt, the water was up to my butt in the

aircraft. >> reporter: just before the plane sank, he grabbed flotation equipment and an ipad. >> we seem to be okay, without injuries. >> reporter: remarkably calm, they recorded the wait for help. >> i believe we've been water for one hour now. no sign of the coast guard, or any rescue emergency services yet. we saw a ship on the horizon. tried to flag him down, without any luck. >> reporter: their luck did change, after three hours, and just before nightfall, the coast guard pulled them from the swells. >> survivor at the rail. >> hopefully this is recording. >> reporter: now back on land, both men say they will fly again. >> i have no hesitation climbing into another aircraft

whatsoever. my wife, on the other hand, does not want me to do much. >> only take that ipad. >> i want to know how he kept it dry. >> a good app for that. the twoided to make the video when they ran out of things to talk about. now at 6:00, the first and one of the most important presidential debates is just hours away. major developments out of syria right now. the fighting has crossed the border into turkey. police on patrol tonight want to find the people who beat a man and left him lying in the streets. please help out and come forward so we can find who did this to my father, please. good evening. i'm jim vance. >> and i'm doreen gentzler. the first debate of the presidential election of 2012. president obama and mitro